It has been a while, finally I get to see and taste the new additions to the Rock & Roll Menu at Hard Rock Cafe Penang. I have been anticipating for the refurbished menu at Hard Rock Cafe since last year, therefore although we were in the midst of interviewing an eighty year old Peranakan chef for our ‘Food Conservation’ project on the same day, I had to take an earlier exit leaving Gill with the “hard-work” to make it almost on time for the invited event attended by a few Penang base food bloggers.

Last April, Hard Rock Cafe Penang had just launched their refurbished menu with 13 new items in its dining menu; 9 new main courses, 1 new salad, 1 new dessert and 2 new drinks/cocktails. In the lineup of new dishes, there are a few Asian influenced offerings, like their Ferringghi Ikan Bakar,’Tom Yam Seafood Linguine and Legendary Percik Burger, amongst their American styled South Carolina Smokehouse Sandwich, Texan Smokehouse Sandwich, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, Smokehouse Chopped Salad, etc. Though slightly late for the event, I was not the last to arrive that day. While waiting for the remaining entourage to arrive I was served with their Strawberry Basil Lemonade which is sold at RM26.00 per glass, or RM85 nett for a Pint Glass. The sour and sweet drink is made with zesty lemonade, sweet Agave nectar, sweet and tangy mashed fresh strawberries and fragrant basil; appetizing and thirst quenching.I am a straight vodka person, so their Blues Riff Lemonade (RM 45.00) was my favourite drink of the two. Made with SMIRNOFF Vodka, Blue Curacao, Ginger Liqueur and home-made lemonade filled with bubbling club soda. It was smooth, full of layers of taste and the lingering body of vodka; sweet and slightly lemony with an earthy aftertaste. Their salad addition to the dining menu was the Smokehouse Chopped Salad (RM 35.00), comprising of freshly chop mixed field greens, diced smoked chicken, turkey bacon, spiced pecans, cheddar cheese and avocado wedges tossed with pico de gallo (salsa fresca) and smoky citrus vinaigrette. It was fresh, juicy, nutty, sweet and tangy to taste.My favourite sandwich/burger of the day was their Legendary “PERCIK” Burger (RM 48.00 ), medium cooked juicy beef patty basted with a bouquet of Malaysian spices served with sliced crisp cucumber and tangy sweet tomatoes on a sweet fluffy toasted bun, and a side of chunky fries. A reorder of the 10oz burger at medium cooked was placed for a much needed fair experience of the “real” deal. The Malaysian taste infused burger was really juicy and moist, slightly spicy, and most importantly warm. Their BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich (RM 28.00), tender and juicy hand-pulled chicken meat that was in-house smoked then drizzled with Hickory Bar-B-Que sauce and topped off with sweet and creamy coleslaw and served on a toasted Ciabatta. The sweet and smoky sandwich was served with sides of ranch beans, coleslaw and seasoned fries. Their South Carolina (RM 30.00) was constructed from juicy strips of chicken dressed in homemade tangy South Carolina style mustard Bar-B-Que sauce topped with crisp fried onions and creamy slaw served on a toasted bun. Tangy, sweet smoky and creamy were presented in this main course. The Texan (RM 33.00), again strips of soft tender chicken drizzled with their spicy and smoky Chipotle and Hickory Bar-B-Que sauce and topped with hot crispy jalapenos and sweet crispy onions, cheddar cheese served on toasted bun. Up the size to a 10oz serving with an additional RM10.00, the bigger it comes the more the fun will be.

My favourite pasta from the list of new additions was their Seafood Spaghetti (RM 35.00). It was the al dente buttered spaghetti and sweet fresh home-made tomato coulis and assorted firm tender seafood that attracted my interest. There was a balance of savoriness, sweetness and tartness from the pureed tomatoes and herbs that stood out from an otherwise common plate of pasta. The accompanying garlic toast was crisp and fragrant, useful at the end for mopping up whatever left over flavours on the plate. Tom Yam Seafood Linguine (RM 30.00), wok-stir-fried linguine pasta in a spicy tom yam sauce with succulent seafood and fresh vegetables. The linguine was lightly tangy with a hint of spiciness; a little bit of Siamese influence of a western dish to bring some Asian flavours to the Hard Rock Cafe in Penang.Their Ferringhi Ikan Bakar (RM30.00) was baked Seabass filet with spicy Portuguese sauce in banana leaf served with Acar Rampai and steamed rice on the side. The Seabass filet was moist and tender with a slight hint of fishy taste, but the spicy Portuguese sauce was aromatic, strong and filled lots of heat to “kill”. It might be a challenge to those who are not acquainted to the heat synonym to Malaysian food. Dining with vegans no longer would be an inconvenience in Hard Rock Cafe Penang, apart from their vegetable salad selection, they now have a specially created Vegetarian Seasonal Vegetable (RM 25.00) main course. It is a plate filled with stir fried seasonal vegetables with garlic and vegetarian oyster sauce, fried vegetarian prawns, fried bean curd and a side steamed rice. Greens, protein and carbohydrates all in one plate.The new addition to their dessert list is their Mud Pie (RM 35.00), a compact crust base constructed from cookies and melted chocolate topped with smooth and rich Haagen Dazs coffee and chocolate ice cream sprinkled with luxurious amounts of almond flakes and drizzle with bittersweet hot fudge. The ice-cream and almond flakes were comforting and full of contrasting textures.

My personal most memorable dishes of them all the new additions to their Dining Menu would be their Legendary Percik Burger, Texan Smokehouse Sandwich, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, Seafood Spaghetti, Smokehouse Chopped Salad, Mud Pie and not forgetting the Blues Riff Lemonade. Try what tickles your taste buds and share it with us!

Many thanks to Grace Chiam, their not so new MARCOM manager for inviting, to Chef Awie for taking some time off the grill to explain about their new food items and to the staff at Hard Rock Cafe Penang for serving us the tantalizing food.

It has been a busy weekend for the past 2 weeks. Last Saturday we were invited by Caffe Strada to review their outlet after operating for about 2 months or so. When we first heard of their name we thought they were related to the Strada in Pulau Tikus, luckily they aren’t. But I have found similar named establishments in Australia & America.

Caffee Strada is located at the previous spot that housed the infamous Island Red Cafe. The place has been given a face lift internally and externally. The place is cosy and great for gatherings due to the spacious seating arrangements, but some sound deafening would be in oder for their air-condition section to reduce the noise level.

The review of Caffe Strada was arranged by Alan of All About Penang Food on the request of the owners of the cafe. Before the food tasting event begun, we were given a brief by Micheal the co-owner and person-in-charge of the cafe’s concept and theme. But before that the early birds that arrived were seen roaming around taking photos of the place and also doing some catching with some other fellow bloggers.

Before the food introduction and tasting begun, we were given a heads up that the cafe is not a FINE DINING restaurant but more of a place to meet up and chat with some dishes to munch one and drinks to quench ones thirst. But to my opinion as a gastronomist and a working restaurant consultant, I beg to differ. Any place that serves up food must have an acceptable standard in their product. When I say product I mean the food, drinks, service and atmosphere, and not just the atmosphere.

The review event saw us having a “feel” of what are the cafe’s menu and the samples quite long. I would say a bit over board because most of us could not really focus on their key specialties and have a proper tasting portion. The followings are the list of items that we had and their prices with thanks to our lovely Cariso for compiling it.

Taste & Texture: 2.0/5 (a lot of room to improve in areas of their coffee, drinks and food items)Money Value : 2.0/5 (prices are not really attractive due to the quality of the products)Service: -NA-/5 (cannot be considered as it was an arranged event)Cleanliness: 4.0/5 (relatively new, thus a clean out look)Atmosphere: 3.0/5 (nice place to gather but would be noisy due to the lack of sound deafening)

The last gathering we had and which also the biggest so far was in August last year (2009) at Vintage Bulgaria in Tanjung Bungah. The recent gathering we had was our 5th and was cap to small size and thus not able to open to the event to the masses because the initial Japanese restaurant “could not cope”. For our past gatherings we had hosted them in a Hainanese Restaurant, Swedish F&B outlet, Pot Luck and Bulgarian. For the latest flick we chose Japanes and had the eagerness to try out an “established” Japanese Restaurant in G Hotel, but due to the restriction on head count to be limited to 20 and last minute decision to limit the available bento set choices I had no choice to source for a new location. Therefore, we finally had our event in Jurin Express in Gurney Plaza’s New Wing. I am baffle that an established restaurant with a minimum capacity of 80 pax could not cope with an event of 40 pax pre-ordering weeks before from their existing bento menu, and to make things easy on them 5 to 6 choices were pre-emptively selected from their lists! I just wonder what the actual capability of their chefs is!

The last time and only time we had a meal in Jurin was a few years ago when it just begun business in Belissa Row in Pulau Tikus. After that faithful meal we never returned. And from our recent encounter we found out that Jurin Express is now under w hole new owner-cum-management and the food concept is also different from what we had years ago. They currently target the mass market due to their outlet which is in a shopping mall, and therefore provides a more localised flavour in their Japanese dishes.

Group photo after the event. Cariso & Lilian Chan had to leave early.

The lunch began with the serving of one of the three starter makis that have yet to reach their menu. The ‘Tempura Kani’ which is actually crab stick hand roll coated in batter and deep fried till crisp then dressed with sweet soyu and decorated with chili flakes and dried herbs. To my preference the cut size was 1 size too big thus the mouth feel was not very pleasant, and because it was served first it would interfere with the following hand roll. This hand roll would be best eaten when it is still warm and crisp.

The second to be served was their Sushi Combo which was nicely set in a bento box for serving. Everything was fine except that the rice was not compact enough. And because we were serve a heavier tasting and textured maki, we could not fully experience what it could offer in terms of flavour and mouth feel. But as there were leftovers to be taken home, we had some in evening straight out from our fridge and would could taste the sourness in the rice and the sweetness of crab sticks, omelette and so forth. Therefore the serving of dishes to customers must also take into consideration of the timing, flavours and aftertaste.

The 3rd and final hand roll on the list was their Breaded Deep Fried Maki. I guess this was the favourite amongst the bloggers as almost all that was served was out of sight by the time the event ended. This item was served hot from the fryer and was golden brown and crisp on the outer layer coating. With the added dressing of mayo and shrimp roe, it was a flavourful maki indeed.

For the event we 4 bento sets to choose from, and I chose Set A which has Ginmutsu Teriyaki (Teriyaki Cod Fish), Chicken Ban Ban (Deep Fried Batter Chicken Chunks with Mayo), Ebi Tempura (Deep Fried Batter Shrimps), Yaki Tamago (Sweet Omelette), Garlic Fried Rice, Miso Soup, Free flow of Honey Green Tea (Cold/Hot) andGreen Tea Ice Cream with Red Beans. The Teriyaki Cod Fish was actually either deep friend or pan fried then drench with their teriyaki sauce. For me, I would prefer my Cod Fish not deep fried but pan grilled without any batter to maintain the smooth texture and juicy fatty content of the flesh. And the teriyaki sauce was a bit too heavy for me and my wife. Other than that, the other dishes in my bento were pretty standard but I did read that Cariso mention the Chicken Ban Ban was a bit oily or ‘ham yau’.

Set B had Sashimi (Salmon and Tuna), Unagi (BBQ Japanese Eel), Tamago Kikurage (Stir Fried Black Fungus with Chilies), Yaki Tamago (Sweet Omelette), Garlic Fried Rice, Miso Soup, Free flow of Honey Green Tea (Cold/Hot) andGreen Tea Ice Cream with Red Beans. Our new found ‘makan kaki’, Sam Ong who was seated opposite us had this set. He offered us a try of his unagi and it tasted average like those one would fine in this kind of establishment.

My Gill chose Set C that has Sashimi (Salmon and Tuna), Spicy Salmon, Kakiage (Deep Fried Shrimps, Squid and Vegetables in batter), Yaki Tamago (Sweet Omelette), Garlic Fried Rice, Miso Soup, Free flow of Honey Green Tea (Cold/Hot) andGreen Tea Ice Cream with Red Beans. The Spicy Salmon was also fried with batter and dressed in their in house sauce which tasted spicy and sweet. The kakiage that we had has already loss its crispness. I remember the first time we sample the kakiage, it was crisp outside and moist inside.

Last was Set D which had Karubi Beef (Stir Fried Beef with Onions), Nama Ika Teriyaki ( Teriyaki Cuttle Fish), Soft Shell Crab Karaage, Yaki Tamago (Sweet Omelette), Garlic Fried Rice, Miso Soup, Free flow of Honey Green Tea (Cold/Hot) andGreen Tea Ice Cream with Red Beans. If we had not tried their Karubi beef before, we would have ordered this set instead. As per our previous visit, the beef slices were well done and the beef texture was a bit rough on the texture side and similarly a bit over seasoned with saltiness. The squid was nicely done, but some did mention that it was slightly chewy. We missed the soft shell crab so can’t comment on it.

OEM Supplied Green Tea Ice Cream Top with Red Beans

Overall the food was a bit too localised for my liking, but then we would have to consider their target market and location. Their flavours are meant for the masses; therefore they have to provide touches of Malaysia to satisfy their clientele which consists of locals, Caucasians and Japanese that prefer something Japanese but off Japanese. Thus, fusion dishes should be the thing or expectations when one decides to dine in Jurin Express. But as a consultant’s point of view, market demand is changing and the fusion trend would inevitably die off and replace with oldskool flavours. And looking at the competition in and around Gurney Plaza plus the human habit of comparing, people would tend to go for a closer authenticity of Japanese cuisine. I do see the keenness of the owners in this business but it would best that they set themselves apart and create what is unique and special to stand out of the already crowded Japanese Restaurant business. My advice to them would be “Do less and do better”, quality is the key!

Apart from sharing a meal together and taking photos, we also talk about cameras, gossip about other place to eat and share ideas and tips in photography. Another by product of the gatherings that we organise is the feedback that we have on the food that we had, what were our expectation and what was the experience in the dining.

Last on this 5th PFB gathering agenda was handing out food samples that we got from our business alliance’s friend to gather feedbacks and views. We had the opportunity to sample 2 variations of yet to be marketed in Penang chili sauces from Bao Bao. Other door gifts were from Criz in the form of vouchers from his clients and acquaintances.

Last weekend, on the 15th of August us Penang Food and Lifestyle Floggers had our much anticipated 4th mass gathering at Vintage Bulgaria in Tanjung Bungah. This gathering saw a three fold growth in terms of attendees compared to the 1st one that we had last year, which was in August too. The first gathering at Hai Nan Town had only 10 floggers from 8 blogs attending. The increase in head count and blog count was all made possible with the team spirit of the “old birds” in the existing group and the hard work of the organiser of this gathering, namely Alan and Allie.

This isn’t my virgin dining experience to Vintage Bulgaria, the first and last time we dined there was on 6th of October last year. The delicacies that we had then and now have somewhat changed. But anyway the night was not really about food, it was mainly about people, exchange of ideas and sharing of knowledge and most of all have fun.

Bulgarian cuisine is a representative of South-Eastern Europe, which is famous for its rich salads before every meal, diversity and quality of the use of diary products, variety of hot and cold soups and the different types of Bulgarian pastries.

The last we dine there, me and Gill chose the dining area on the lower ground which looks something like the photo below.

For this gathering, we had the luxury of having the whole second floor to ourselves. I remember that they were mentioning about preparing the second floor for functions and parties last year.

The event started with the floggers’ arrival from 7:00pm onwards. For those who arrived early were busy mingling around and having their photos taken candidly.

For the extremes, ass grabbing was also in the list of activities.

It was thoughtful for the restaurant to prepare a prop table and an extra set of each main course that was on the nights’ set menu that was specially designed for our gathering. The arrangement was of great help in the photo taking session for all the floggers. At least we would not need to go to different tables to get the full set of photos of the dishes served.

The set menu was custom catered for our gathering, which explains the special price that we enjoyed for the night. On normal days for the three course dinner plus coffee or tea that we had on that night would have cost more. That is why I guess there were many inquiries for the set menu from the public on that particular night. And thus, the restaurant decided to serve all their guess for the night from the set menu. In terms of publicity, the gathering has contributed some awareness for Vintage Bulgaria through our collective power. For this instance, the keyboard is mightier then the sword.

The three course dinner started with a choice of two soups to choose from, ‘Mushroom Soup with Vintage Garlic Bread’ and Seafood Soup. The Mushroom soup tasted earthy with the loads of mushroom bits infused into it, and rich but not overwhelmingly rich. In short it did not taste like the common commercial canned soup that one would get from an average restaurant. The accompanying Vintage Garlic Bread was something to brag about too. The bread was crisp on the rim, and soft and creamy in the centre with the luscious amount of cheese. It was well paired to the Mushroom Soup as it gave it that additional kick in terms of flavour.

Then there was the Seafood Soup which felt more like seafood chowder not because it was thicken with cream or flour, but it was thick because of the vast amounts of tuna, carrot and etc ingredients that were pounded into it. Taste wise as Gill puts it, it tasted full of fresh seafood flavour with the grainy texture of the ingredients found in the soup.

After the starters then came the main course. I had the ‘Bulgarian Pork Djolan’ and Gill had the ‘Bulgarian Platter’. The Pork Djolan was something different from the German Pork Knuckles that we have tried in Kota Damansara and the Irish Knuckles that we ate at Fennigan’s Pub in Mid Valley. Different from what we have tried in terms of knuckles be it German, Irish or simply Chinese, the Pork Djolan had a more intense flavour, sweeter and saltier with some hint herb or spice. The knuckle was crisp on the skin and moist and tender under it. Due to the heavy flavour on the surface, some may feel that the meat was slightly bland. But then if the marinate had work itself into the depth of the meaty areas, then I might not have tasted the original sweet flavour of the knuckle. In fact the knuckle was already tasty on its, thus there was not a need for any dipping sauce or gravy, especially the accompanying BBQ like sauce which would have murdered the flavours of what the knuckle could deliver.

Me taking the hands on approach on the 101 ways of enjoying the Djolan Knuckle to the last fibers!

Gill had the Bulgarian Platter, which we find somewhat dry and salty to our liking. As we are not foreign to this dish, we have come to a conclusion that the first platter that we had way back last year was more flavourful and tastier. Portion wise the latest version had more to offer with the amounts of potato and vegetable side dishes.

Latest version of Bulgarian Platter

Last year’s version of the Bulgarian Platter

Next on the main course choices, was the ‘Chicken Stroganov’, which have its origins starting in the 19th century from Russia. Stroganov is a dish with strips of meat sautéed and served in a sauce that contains sour cream. TheNomadGourmand had this main, which she graciously shared with us. The chicken strips were tender; sauce was smoothly rich and earthy with hints of capsicum flavour in it. To us the best was to have the chicken strips and using the mash to mop up the sauce and enjoy!

Then there was the Plovdiv Ribs, which I and Gill have tried on our first visit to Vintage Bulgaria. And again, this dish has gone through some changes. Changes that I and Gill did not really wanted except for the increased portion size. The version served for at the event had a sweeter taste, like BBQ Ribs.

Plovdiv Ribs that were served during the event

Plovdiv Ribs that we enjoyed last year

The last choice of entrees was the ‘ Baked Cod fish with creamy Mushroom Sauce’ which was left cold and dry to hang. There were no takers for this dish and the tasting was from the plate that was brought out for the photo shoots. We did not indulge in this dish, thus nothing can be commented.

After the savory main course and the most sort for by the sweet tooth’s, was the desserts. In the list we had a choice of ‘Chocolate Crème Brûlée’ and ‘Chocolate Soup’. As usual we had both choices as there two us. The Chocolate Crème Brûlée was smooth and rich in chocolate flavour. One down side of this dessert was that the top layer of burnt sugar was too thick and coarse. It contributed a big contrast in the texture and sweetness. A finer grain of sugar would have better match to my liking.

The ‘Chocolate Soup’ was served chilled, which is part of the Bulgarian dining culture, tasted like “high-end” chocolate drink with vanilla ice-cream and choc powder sprinkles. I kind of like it because I like to drink “Milo kau” or thick Milo. It is something good to drink to comfort the soul with. The dessert soup was rich and full that I was filled to the brim after downing the whole mug of it.

As the desserts were served, we new that it was almost time to bid farewell but that did not stop us to have more fun before the curtain closes for this gathering. Other than the desserts on the set menu list, we also had the privileged to be sponsored with cakes from Dennie Yeap of Winter Butterfly Homemade Cakes and gelatos from Gelatisimo. As I was busy fooling around and chit chatting, I did not have a fair taste of the cakes and am unable to comment on them.

Oreo Cheese Cake

Chocolate Brownies

Cream Cheese Mousse Cake

And with the cakes an ad-hoc decision was made to celebrate the birthdays of the attending floggers’ birth date that falls with in July, August and September.

As we rich the end of the event we had some group photos taken the Penang Food Flogger way, crazy and wild to the end!

Recently our newly appointed Minister of Information, Communication and Culture Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim urged bloggers to act and write in a responsible manners. He said bloggers who twist the truth shall face music and be held accountable. Please see more report here and our previous report.

As such, we deem the awareness of legal rights and responsibilities amongst bloggers is increasingly crucial. Bloggers should be aware of laws governing bloggersphere, especially, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act 1998 (MCMC Act) and the relevant rules and guidelines of MCMC, laws relating to copyrights issues and defamation laws.

In fact, after successfully organised the eLawyer Blogging & Law Conference in March 2009 at University of Malaya, KL, we received many feedback from the Penang bloggers requesting us to organise the similar event in Penang.

With the assistance and sponsorship of Exa Bytes Network Sdn Bhd (”Exabytes”), the largest web hosting company in Malaysia, we are glad to announce that we will be seeing you in eLawyer – Exabytes Penang Bloggers & Law Forum 2009 in Penang on 27 June 2009.

Topic 2: Bloggers & Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act 1998 (MCMC Act) and rules and guidelines of MCMCSpeaker: Mr.Shamsul Jafni Shafie (Sam)
Brief profile: Sam is the former director of Security, Trust and Governance Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. He was also the Work Area 5 Leader on “International Cooperation” to draft the Global Cybersecurity Agenda for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – http://www.itu.int.

Topic 3: Bloggers & Defamation Law
Speaker: Mr. Stephen Tan Ban Cheng (Stephen)Brief profile: Stephen is a journalist-turned-lawyer. Currently, he is a practising lawyer in Penang. Stephen was a senior journalist in the famous local newspaper including New Strait Times and the Star for more than 20 years.

Moderator: Mr. Khairul Anuar bin Shaharudin (Kruel)
Brief profile: Kruel is the cybername for Khairul, who is a practising lawyer in KL and an avid bloggers. Kruel participated in numerous bloggers events and his blog Legal Cat-asthrophereceived well comments from the bloggersphere in Malaysia.

Registration: The admission to this Forum is FREE. However, due to limited seat, please R.S.V.P by sending your details (Name, Tel, Email, Occupation and Company/School) to forum@elawyer.com.my before 24 June 2009 or call 03-2782 5399 for more information.

It was our first time meeting people who share the same passion on food. In the past we have met many who are makan kings & queens, who only know where to look for food but doesn’t really know how to enjoy food. But then beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, ones gourmet dish may be another ones poison.

It was an enjoyable night to remember with Penang Tua Pui (but compare to me they are still short of a few kilos), Lingzie, CK Lam, Buzzingbe, Cariso and Criz Lai. There will be more gatherings in plan and we hope that more will join in to make the occasion merrier.

Lets get back to the food at Hainan Town at the Queens St. Pier. It was our first visit there and we did not know what to expect, but as food adventurers we went on to see what was cooking there. Basically we had 5 dishes that would be signature dishes of any Nyonya restaurant, except for the mix vegetable, spring rolls(nyonya style), inchi kabin, Jiu Hu Char, Asam Fish. Imagine with the 5 dishes, white rice and drinks(no liqueur), it was a whopping RM190+. And honestly, I had to go for second round with Gill as the portions were insufficient. Damn! The blades were sharpen on both sides, si peh tai tao.

The photo we’ve took were not up to standard…pai seh, please dont put high expectation on the DSLR…coz we are still new 😛

The first dish to be serve was the Spring Rolls, it was a bit over fried and oily. The complementary sauce that is norm for this kind spring rolls were also not up to par, it was dead sour and lacks the earthy and smoky taste. If one could remember when Hollywood Restaurant at Tg. Bungah, during their hey days, their Spring Rolls were fried to perfection and serve with the special sauce, which brings out the sweetness of the fillings and also eliminates the oiliness feeling that comes with deep fried food.

Food Taste: 5

Next was the Inchi Kabin. My first impression was charcoal chicken because it was so black and doesn’t resemble any Inchi Kabin i have tried before. I can’t really remember how Ichi Kabin should taste like but definitely this is not Inchi Kabin. Although the chicken looks well done but yet Penang Tua Pui complaint that theirs were not cooked, my drum stick was over cooked and hard. I wonder did the cook stir the chicken when it was being fried!

Food Taste: 4

The Jiu Hu Char taste common, but the texture was coarse may be due to that the turnips(sengkuang) were shredded using a shredder rather that being hand cut.

Food Taste: 5

The Asam Fish, tasted blend, no heat and no fragrant from the Curry Flower. The significant taste was sour and sweet with a tiny hint pineapple. It will suit those who can’t take spicy food, like MAT SALLEHs.

Food Taste: 4

No comments on mixed vegetable as it was common and taste so so only.

Food Taste: 5

After the main course, we had dessert made by Buzzingbee, tarts bought by Criz and a birthday cake prepared by Lingzie for Cariso. Those were the only high lights for the night. The main courses were a bit disappointing.

i love the black papper tarlets among 3 of them…(top right, dark in color). If you would like to know where to get those tarlets, please visit crizfood.blogspot.com for more info.

Here comes the tiny “Virgin” fruit tarts prepared by BuzzingBee from her homy kitcken 🙂 This is her first experiment and yet the quality can fight with those who make for living :P~

The Tart overall is ok, but just the fruit cant stand too long on the pastry and color start to changed, luckily she put choclate as base to avoid the water comes out from the fruits…or else, will become a fruit cake…hehehe…Clever! Way to go BuzzingBee!

A point to remember, next gathering remember to ask for a plate warmer! All were busy taking photos for their bloggs by the time we all set down, the dishes were already unsaveble, 991 also can’t help. haaaa…

Interviewed By Kwong Wah

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The criticisms, opinions and grading expressed here are entirely based on our personal experience, professional observations and taste preference at the time of dining, thus may vary from the views and comments of others.

No monetary or non-monetary compensation was accepted to produce our reviews, or otherwise specified. Invited reviews or self paid dining will be treated with due fairness and non-biases.

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